This Is Me - Serina's Story (Ratchet and Clank OC)
by mikkimouse256
Summary: This is the story About Serina's childhood right up to the point where she meets Ratchet for the first time. I decided to write this as Serina recording herself talking about her life on a Holo-diary, like Vendra did in "into the nexus". Cover image is what Serina looks like when she is 18. Thanks to Amberdiamondswords for inspiring me to write this!
1. Chapter 1

Serina's POV

 _6 years old – 1_ _st_ _Holo-diary entry_

Aunty Freda told me how I came to the orphanage today. She said I was old enough to know how I got here. She told me that she found me on the steps of the orphanage as a baby, laying in a basket with a single note that had my name on it. She said she took me inside and tried to get me to stop crying. I was a very unhappy baby. I wonder why my family left me there. Did my mummy and daddy not want me? Maybe they want to keep me here so that I can be friends with everyone, and then when I am all grown up, they will come back and take me home! I hope they come find me soon, I want to know how pretty my mummy is, and how strong my daddy is. I will wait for them until they come to get me! Even if it takes a while.

 _9 years old_

The older boys from the orphanage are making fun of me again. I went out to play with the other kids when they cornered me and called me names. They called me ugly and a loser, and that my family left me here because they didn't love me. They do this every day. I try to get them to leave me alone, but nothing works. Why do they have to make fun of me? I know I'm not like the other kids here, but they don't have to be mean to me about it. I keep asking Aunty Freda why the kids keep teasing me, but she just keeps saying that I'm "special", and that they are just jealous of me. But I know that isn't it. I don't think I'll never know why they treat me like this.

 _12 years old_

The bullies went too far this time. They cornered me again, called me names as usual. But then… One of the guys hit me. He scratched me on my cheek with his huge claws. It hurt so much, that I started crying. They laughed at me and called me a crybaby and a wimp. Luckily Aunty Freda caught them and sent them to their rooms. She helped me back inside and put a big band aid on my scratch. She reassured me that everything was going to be okay and that the bullies wouldn't bother me anymore. I hope she is right, because I don't know how much more I can take. I've been dealing with those bullies for most of my life, and I don't want to go through that again. There is still a part of me that is hoping that my family will come to take me away from here, but I'm not sure they will ever come back.

Aunty Freda's POV

 _(This entry was written the day after Serina was injured)_

I am worried about Serina. She has been teased by those bullies for so long, I'm surprised she has been strong enough to withstand their horrible remarks and nasty attitudes. I can't believe those boys harmed her, she did nothing wrong, so why do it? I talked to the boys about their actions, but none of them would tell me why they did it. I would kick them out of the orphanage, but that would be wrong of me. I have to take care of all the children here, even if they are bullies. I wish there was more I could do for poor little Serina, but I'm not as sharp as I used to be, I am 76 years old after all. She has always been frail and weaker than the other children, she would get sick a lot because of her weak immune system, and would be unable to complete simple tasks like carry a small pile of books due to her fragile body. I have taken her to the doctors several times to see if there was something that could be done, but they would always say the same thing. She was obviously born this way, and that I should just accept the fact that she is weaker than everyone else, because no medicine is going to help. To be honest, I am not sure what species Serina is. I have looked through several books, but none have anything about her race or where they could be if they disappeared. She has no unique features, no pointy ears or markings, no scales or fur, she is just… her. I don't know what I can do for the girl if I don't even know what she is or where she came from. I just hope she is strong enough to survive everything life throws at her.

Serina's POV

 _15 years old_

I couldn't sleep again. This has happened for the past 2 nights, and I'm struggling. The weather has been really terrible here on Veldin, there have been huge thunder storms recently, which is rare, since it is a desert planet. It turns out that I'm scared of thunder and lightning, and ever since the storms have started, I've been unable to sleep at night. I tried hiding under my blankets, but it didn't work. Aunt Freda says I might be scared of storms because there was one when she found me at the orphanage, but I'm not really convinced. I've tried everything from drinking warm milk to counting sheep, but to no avail. It's 2:00 am right now, and the storm hasn't died down. I think I'm going to be up all night again. I don't know if I can do this anymore. My body is already weak enough as it is, and lack of sleep is not going to help. Not to mention I tried to run away from the orphanage this morning. I didn't get very far, due to my frailness, the scorching heat was too much for me and I fainted. I had woken up in my bed with Aunt Freda fussing over me, saying that running away wasn't going to help me and that I should know better. She was right, she always is. There was no way I would have made it on my own, not in my condition. I guess I was just so desperate to leave, to find my family that I thought I would be okay by myself. The scratch on my face has faded, but there is a scar there now. But… it isn't the only one. I have one on the back of my neck from where one of the bullies had tried to grab me by the throat. I didn't tell Aunt Freda about it, she would have had a fit if she found out. I didn't want her to worry about me, so I kept it a secret. Luckily, my hair is long enough to hide the scratch. I don't like keeping things from her, but I don't want her to know about it, she would be better off not knowing. I can't believe I used to think that my parents would come for me one day. It's been 15 years, and they haven't come. I've given up, they are not coming back. I was an idiot to believe they would. I don't think I'll ever be able to experience love, not now, not ever.

 _18 years old_

 _(This is Serina's last Holo-diary before she meets Ratchet for the first time)_

Today's the day of the Galactic Ranger tryouts. I'm not going. I've always wanted to meet them in person, but I don't see a point in going. First off, Aunt Freda wouldn't allow it, not after my attempt at running away from the orphanage when I was 15. She's been watching me like a hawk since then, and whenever I went out for a little walk, she would always accompany me. I know she is just trying to help, but it can get really annoying sometimes. Secondly, even If I did go, I would probably faint from the heat, since my body is so fragile, and I wouldn't want Aunt Freda to have another heart attack, so I think it's best if I stay here. Recently she's been trying to get me to make some friends, but I think she's going a bit overboard. Whenever the mailman would come here, she would get me to talk to him while she looked through her mail. He was nice, but I doubt we would be friends. She just doesn't want me to be lonely, but I don't mind being alone. I mean, apart from the kids at the orphanage, I've never had a friend, so being by myself isn't really a new thing to me. But, I've always wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to, to share my interests with, and to laugh with. But I know that will never happen. Because I'm different from everyone else, I don't fit in. I don't think I ever will…

 ** _"Serina! Could you come down here please? There is someone I want you to meet!"_**

Aunt Freda is calling me, looks like I will have to end it here. She probably wants me to talk to some delivery guy or something. Hopefully this turns out well.

 _End recording._


	2. Wounds

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The sound of my alarm clock rung through my ears, and I groaned in annoyance. I slowly opened my eyes, and blinked a few times to try and get my vision to focus properly. When I could finally see clearly, I wasn't greeted with the sight of my bedside table with my alarm clock beeping constantly at me. Instead I was greeted with… a point of pencils…? It took a few seconds for my brain to process this, since I was still half asleep, but that's when I realized that I wasn't in my bed either. I could feel the hard wood of my desk chair underneath me, and I could feel the roughness of my desk on my cheek. I sighed deeply. Great. I fell asleep at my desk. _Again._ I tried to sit up, but my back was killing me due to the position I had slept in, so my first attempt led to me collapsing back on the desk, my face smacking against the hard surface, causing me to groan in pain. This wasn't the first time I had fallen asleep like this. For the past few nights I've been unable to sleep due to having nightmares, so I'd find something to occupy myself until I felt tired, most of the time I would draw or write ideas for a song. 99% of those times, I would end up falling asleep at my desk without even realizing, then waking up the next morning with a bad back and a pounding headache.

I tried to sit up again, and this time I was successful. I raised my arms above me and stretched, sighing in relief when I heard the sound of my back cracking and the feeling of my tense muscles being loosened. I yawned loudly, and rubbed my eyes to get any remaining sleep out of them. I glanced down at my desk, where a sheet of paper with several lines of music notes and scribbles on it laid. I picked it up in my hands and sighed. This was the first original song I had worked on in a while, and though it seemed like a good idea at the time, reading through it now, it wasn't the best thing I've done. Not to mention the song was meant to be upbeat and 'happy' sounding, but the lyrics were just down right depressing. What was I thinking when I wrote this? Well, I did start it after having a bad dream, so maybe that had something to do with it. I shrugged it off. It's not like anyone is going to listen to my song anyway.

I slowly stood up from my chair, being careful not to lose my balance and fall over, since I hadn't moved my legs in several hours. I walked (well, more like stumbled) away from my desk and made my way over to my bedside table, where my alarm clock was still beeping loudly. I pressed the off button, and the high pitched beeping finally stopped. To be honest, I have no idea why I have an alarm clock in the first place. I mean, it's not like I have to go anywhere, so why have a clock that wakes me up at 7:30 in the morning? I shrugged again. Doesn't matter I guess, I don't mind getting up early anyway. I walked over to my full length mirror that I had and looked at my reflection. My nose scrunched up in disgust. I looked _terrible._

My long black hair was knotty and was sticking out in crazy directions, I had huge black rings under my eyes, and my skin was pale and sickly looking. Well, I always look pale, but today I looked as white as a freaking blank canvas. Not to mention I was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I had tried to fall asleep last night without changing into my pyjamas because I was too tired to care what I was wearing, and of course it failed miserably. Now my clothes were all crinkled. My clothing consisted of a red tank top which exposed my stomach, and light brown shorts. I was barefoot, my boots laying at the end of my bed where I had taken them off the night before. I groaned, dragging my hand down my face. "I look like a train wreck…" I mumbled to myself, glancing at my reflection again and cringing at the sight. I needed to fix myself up. So after spending 10 minutes brushing all the knots out of my hair (literally), and trying to make the dark rings under my eyes go away, I finally left my bedroom and made my way down the hallway. The orphanage had many rooms, so many that I've lost count. Each room had the name of the child who inhabited it carved into the wooden doors, each name written in cursive writing. The orphanage consisted of 2 floors, the top floor being just a long hallway of rooms, and the ground floor was for the kitchen, living room, and play area for the younger kids. Once I reach the end of the hallway, I make my way down the stairs, my bare feet thudding against them with each step.

If you haven't guessed already, the whole orphanage is made from wood. Well, not _everything,_ but the main structure of the place is made out of this old type of wood that no one uses anymore. Buildings nowadays are made from metal and stuff, but there's no way we could afford to upgrade the orphanage. This place has been running for a long time, long before I was born, so this place is ancient. To be honest, I like the old fashioned feel it has, makes me feel like it's really my home. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a delicious smell reached my nostrils, and I breathed in deeply. I knew that smell anywhere. It was bacon and eggs, my personal favourite. I wasted no time getting to the kitchen, which was where the smell was coming from. Several kids were already eating at the dining table, stuffing their mouths with food. Yes, the dining table was also in the kitchen. We didn't have a dining room, so the kitchen was the only place to eat our meals. I breathed in again, taking in that amazing smell, my mouth salivating. I looked around until my eyes landed on the cook who was currently preparing the bacon and eggs. "Good morning Aunt Freda!" I exclaimed. She turned around and smiled at me.

"Good morning Serina! How are you this morning?" She asked, her old green eyes shining brightly. I shrugged.

"I've had better days I guess. But _that_ might make me feel better" I said as I pointed to the pan which had sizzling bacon and mouth-watering eggs within it. Aunt Freda chuckled softly, grabbing a plate and placing the eggs and bacon on it.

"I had a feeling you'd say that my dear. Here you go, fresh out of the pan!" She handed the plate to me, and I licked my lips. The egg yolks were bright and golden, and the bacon was crispy, making my mouth salivate like crazy. I placed my plate on the dining table and sat down, and Aunt Freda handed me a knife and fork. I was about to dig in, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I looked to my left, and I was greeted with a small fongoid child who went by the name Susie.

"Morning Wina!" She said, grinning brightly. I chuckled at the way she said my name. She hadn't learnt to say it fully yet, so she would just call me Rina instead, which I found adorable. Of course, she couldn't pronounce her R's properly, so she would way "Wina" instead of Rina.

"Good morning Susie, how are you this morning?"

"I'm good! Sowwy for intewwupting you, I just wanted to say hi before I left to play with my fwiends!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. I chuckled again. She was so cute! I gave her a little pat on the head.

"That's okay Susie! Now go play, your friends are waiting for you!" I said, and gave her a little nudge towards the door with my arm. She nodded, and ran off to meet the others. All the other children were either in the living room, the play area, or outside, so it was just me and Aunt Freda left in the kitchen. I dug my knife and fork into my eggs and cut a piece off. I was about to take a bite when Aunt Freda interrupted me. "You fell asleep at your desk again didn't you?" She said. I placed my fork back on my plate and looked up at her in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

"Serina, you've been doing this for the past week! Those dark circles under your eyes say it all. Plus…" She paused, pointing a bony finger at my outfit. "You're wearing the same clothes as yesterday. It doesn't take that much to figure out what's going on you know." I sighed.

"Yes, I did. But it's no big deal! I just couldn't sleep last night that's all!" I said, trying to sugar-coat my voice so that she wouldn't worry about me. I tried taking a bite of my food again, but Aunt Freda interjected once more.

"You had that nightmare again right?" She said, her voice toned down to almost a whisper. I didn't reply, I just nodded my head slowly. Aunt Freda sighed, shaking her head slightly. She reached over and lightly placed her hand on top of mine. I looked into her eyes, which were full of concern. "Serina. Maybe you should… see someone about these nightmares. I hate to see you like this" She said, giving my hand a small squeeze. I felt slight anger boil up inside me.

"You mean a _shrink_? It's not even that bad!" I said, jerking my hand away from hers and folding my arms angrily. Aunt Freda pointed at me with the same amount of anger.

"Don't give me that attitude young lady! I am only trying to help, and don't say shrink, that is not the appropriate term!" She said, raising her voice slightly. I scoffed in response. "You need help darling, and I think seeing a _psychiatrist_ would be the best option." I looked into her eyes again, and saw the worry in them. I sighed. I got up from my chair and walked around the table until I was next to Aunt Freda. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. She hugged me back, her frail arms squeezing me tightly. "You don't need to worry about me Aunt Freda. I'm okay, really. But, if I have the nightmare again, I _promise_ to go see a shr- psychiatrist, okay?" I said as I pulled away from our embrace.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. So please don't worry about me alright?" I said reassuringly. Aunt Freda sighed, and smiled at me.

"You're going to worry me to death one of these days, but I trust you. Just take care of yourself okay?" She said as she lightly stroked my cheek with her wrinkled hand. I leaned into her touch, her soft skin sending a warm feeling through my body. Aunt Freda pulled her hand away, and gave me a small nudge towards the door. "Go on then, you should go outside and get some fresh air, it'll do you good!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" I said as she continued to push me out the door. Luckily I was able to escape from her and quickly eat my breakfast (which was cold) before she shooed me out of the kitchen. She was right though, maybe going outside will make me feel better. I ran back upstairs to grab my boots, then once they were on, I ran back down again and made my way outside. As I opened the front door to the orphanage, I was greeted with the most pleasant breeze I had felt in ages. I walked outside and took a deep breath in, taking in the scenery. It wasn't much to look at, since Veldin was a desert planet, but it was still nice. All kinds of amber coloured rock formations littered the ground, some big, some small. The sky was crystal blue, not a cloud in sight. I sighed happily. My hair flowed softly behind me, the wind being the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold, just how I liked it. I looked around, and saw that no else was outside. All the kids who were out here must have gone back inside when I was taking to Aunt Freda. I shrugged. I needed some time alone anyway. I sat down on a nearby rock and allowed my thoughts to wonder. Aunt Freda was the only person who was relatively close to being the same as me, well, apart from the other kids of course. The orphanage was filled with many different species, the two main ones being Markazians and Fongoids. Aunt Freda was a Markazian, had the pointy ears and tail which were the main attributes of the species. The Fongoids were nothing like me though, not even close. Me? I have no special features whatsoever. My ears aren't pointy, they're more like a round shape. I have no tail, no markings, no nothing. I'm just…

 _Me._

I've always wondered why I am different from everyone else, and I've spent 18 years of my life not knowing the answer. Did my parents abandon me because I was different? Were they so embarrassed by me that they gave me away? All these questions have been in the back of my mind for so long, but no matter what I tried, I could never find the answers to them. My face suddenly felt damp, and I realized that I was crying. Tears streamed down my cheeks and fell onto the dry desert ground. Small sobs escaped my mouth as my body shook with each shaking breath. This wasn't the first time that I had cried when thinking about my family. Pretty much 50% of my childhood has been nothing but crying my eyes out whenever my parents came to mind. Aunt Freda would always comfort me when I was in a state like this, but recently I've been keeping my emotional problems to myself. The one thing I hate is how much I worry Aunt Freda. She is 78 years old, she can't afford to fuss over me as much as she does. Sometimes I wonder why she even bothers to care for me when I cause so much trouble for her. I'm surprised she hasn't had enough of me yet, that she still wants to help me even though I'm not worth it. I shook my head, and placed my face in my hands. I continued to cry, unable to stop all the feelings that were welling up inside me. Why am I here? Did my parents even want me? Are they even alive?

I sat there for what seemed like hours, the only sound I could hear was my constant sobbing. Well, so much for making me feel better, turns out going outside just made things _worse._ Suddenly, a deep gruff voice broke my thoughts.

"Well, well! If it isn't little miss crybaby!"

I instantly froze in mid sob, my whole body tensing up. I knew that voice all too well. I slowly turned around, and standing behind me was the one guy who made my whole childhood miserable. His name was Vlad Reaper, and with him were his two friends, Omega and Cyclops. Apart from their stupid names, they were the oldest kids at the orphanage apart from me. They're just a bunch of Thugs. Literally, _that's_ what their species is called. They're pretty much just a humanoid alligator, and they are downright ugly. I quickly wiped away some stray tears that had trickled down my face, and looked at Vlad and his gang sternly.

"What do you want Vlad?"

He chuckled, his friends doing the same.

"Come on sweetheart! That isn't the way to greet your friends!" He said sarcastically, the other two snickering behind him.

"You guys are **_not_** my friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back inside" I said as I stood up from where I was sitting and making a beeline for the front door. Of course, Vlad wasn't taking no for an answer, so he stood in front of me to block my escape. He was quite close to me, and it took everything I had not to back away. I had to be strong if I was going to get out of this unharmed.

"I don't think so little miss crybaby. My pals and I just want to have a chat with you, what's wrong with that?" He said, leaning forward slightly and staring at me with his red slitted eyes. That's the one thing that creeped me out about these guys, they had no pupils, so It was like staring into a void of pure red. But I held my ground.

"You know _exactly_ what's wrong with it Vlad, now move aside" I said, as I tried to walk around Vlad and his friends. That wasn't the right move, because Vlad blocked me again, but this time, he did something unexpected.

He shoved me. _Hard._ I cried out in surprise as I fell backwards, my back hitting the ground with a painful thud. Omega and Cyclops laughed hysterically, like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I slowly sat up, propping myself up with my arms. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breathing fast and shallow. Vlad towered over me, smiling wickedly.

"Not so tough now are you? You think you have the guts to stand up to me? Well, hate to break it ya, but you're just a weak and pathetic kid who's family left behind! Wanna know why? Because they _didn't. Love. You."_ He said, annunciating those last three words slowly, each one feeling like I was being stabbed in the heart. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to let them escape. But Vlad noticed straight away, and he laughed out loud. He got right in my face, his breath smelling of old Choochi bars, and I felt like gagging. "Aw, are you gonna cry? Come on, cry for Vlad. Don't be shy!" He said, sneering at me, his sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

That's it. I couldn't take this anymore. With all of my strength, I lifted my arm, my hand balled into a fist, and…

 ** _I punched him in the jaw._**

He stumbled back, surprised by my sudden action. He gripped his jaw with his hand, a slight look of discomfort on his face. As for me, I felt _amazing._ In all my years of being bullied by these guys, I had _never_ had the courage to fight back. But now I felt like stronger than I had ever felt before. Of course, that feeling was short lived. Because the look Vlad was giving me, I wasn't going to like what he did next.

"You've got guts kid, I'll give ya that. But I think it's time for me and my pals to teach you a lesson!" Vlad growled, sending a chill down my spine. He snapped his fingers, and Omega and Cyclops were on me in a second, restraining my arms so I couldn't run away. I was about to scream, but one of them put their hand over my mouth, stopping me in my tracks. Vlad started walking around the side of the orphanage, his goons dragging me along, as I desperately tried to dig my feet into the ground to stop them. But I wasn't strong enough. _'Curse this stupid frail body!'_ I thought to myself, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. It wasn't long before we were behind the orphanage, Vlad's goons slamming me into the wooden wall. I cried out in pain, Omega's hand still over my mouth, muffling my voice. "Alright Omega, remove ya hand, it won't be any fun if we muffle her pathetic screams!" Vlad said, and Omega obeyed, removing his scaly hand from my mouth. Omega and Cyclops released my arms, and I fell to the ground, by back pressed against the wall. I wanted to scream, I wanted to call for Aunt Freda, but nothing came out. I was frozen in fear.

Vlad walked up to me, and bent down so his eyes met mine. "Time to teach you that messing with me and my friends was your biggest mistake you had ever made" He said coldly. My eyes widened in horror, as he brought his arm back. In one swift motion, he swung his arm, his long claws slashing the skin on my cheek. I cried out in pain, my hand instantly moving to where the skin had been split open. It wasn't a deep scratch, but deep enough that when I pulled my hand away, blood stained my fingertips, my cheek feeling like it was on fire. Vlad laughed maniacally, his friends joining in. "Aw, did that hurt? Well there's plenty more where that came from!" Vlad said. He swung his arm again, this time making a 3 clawed gash on my left arm. This one was deeper than the one on my cheek, so the pain had intensified. I could feel the blood leaking out of the wound and dripping down my arm, but I refused to look at it. Tears stung my eyes as my mind started getting hazy from the amount of blood I had lost. But Vlad wasn't done. He scratched my other arm, then both of my upper thighs, sending waves of excruciating pain through my body. My tears finally fell, streaming down my cheeks, mixing with the blood from the wound on my cheek. Vlad laughed once more, then started walking away from me, his friends trailing behind. He stopped for a moment, and looked over his shoulder, glaring at me. "Hopefully next time you'll learn not to mess with me kid, because if you do, I'll be doing much more to you than a few measly scratches." With that he continued walking, and he and his friends disappeared around the corner of the orphanage.

My head was spinning, and my wounds were sending multiple jolts of pain through me, causing me to moan in pain. I tried to stand up, but I was too weak. I fell to the ground, my body making a painful thud against the dirt. This wasn't good, I needed to get help. Luckily, I heard Aunt Freda's voice from the front of the orphanage, calling my name. I heard her footsteps coming closer to me until she stopped. She was on the side of the orphanage, her voice much louder now.

"Serina! Where are you?" She called out. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her looking around, a small look of worry on her face. I needed to get her attention. With all of my strength, I pulled myself along the ground, the hard rocks scraping against my stomach. I kept going until the top half of my body could be seen from behind the wall. Aunt Freda had her back to me. I took a deep breath, and called out her name.

"Aunt Freda…" I mumbled, my voice cracking slightly. She must have heard me, because she turned around, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw me lying on the ground. In a matter of seconds, (she was quite fast for a 78 year old woman), she was at my side. She slowly turned me onto my back, holding me in her arms. She looked over my wounds, tears falling down her cheeks. "Serina! W-what happened to you…?" She whispered, her green eyes full of concern. I took a breath and spoke softly.

"Vlad… Did this to me" I said, feeling extremely weak. Her horrified expression soon turned into an enraged one. I could feel her hands tighten around me.

"That monster! He will pay for what he's done to you" She said angrily, her emerald eyes gleaming with fury. She looked down at me, and smiled sympathetically. "Come on sweetheart, let's get you inside. Put your arm around me." She lifted my left arm and draped it around her shoulders. She cautiously stood up, helping me to my feet. My legs felt like jelly, so it took me a few seconds to get my balance, but once I was able to stand, Aunt Freda and I made the slow trip back to the orphanages entrance. Luckily, all the children were in the living room watching a movie, so Aunt Freda had no trouble sneaking me up the stairs and into my room. She carefully laid me down on my bed, and started looking through several draws until she found what she was looking for. She sat down on the bed beside me, and opened up a pot of nanotech cream, smearing a bit on her hand. "Now hold still dear, this might sting a bit." I simply nodded in response, and she started applying the cream to my wounds. She did my cheek first, rubbing the cream over the scratch until it was completely covered. I clenched my teeth in pain, the cream making the wound sting. She applied the cream to the rest of my wounds, then went into the on suite in my room to wash her hands. It didn't take long for the nanotech to take effect. I could feel each wound healing itself, the cuts closing up and slowly disappearing. In a matter of seconds, all of my injuries had healed. I slowly sat up on my bed, Aunt Freda returning from the bathroom. She sat down beside me again, and grasped my hands tightly. "Serina, you know for a fact that you're no longer safe here, well, not while those mongrels are here anyway. I think maybe you should… go somewhere else until I can find a way to relocate them." I looked at her in surprise.

"But, where would I go? There are no other orphanages around here" I said, confused on what Aunt Freda was getting at.

"I know, but there is someone I that I think can help us. He's an old friend of mine, runs a ship repairing garage not too far from here, maybe he can let you stay there for a while" She said, giving my hands a reassuring squeeze. I thought it through for a moment. If it was the only option, I had no choice but to agree to her plan. I nodded, and she gave me a small pat on the shoulder as she stood up from my bed.

"Well that's that then. I'll give him a call, I'll be right back." With that she left the room. I sighed, and flopped onto my back, my body sinking into my soft mattress. I knew one thing for certain…

 ** _Sometimes the universe had a cruel sense of humor._**


End file.
